[JURIST] The Justice and Human Rights Commission of Morocco’s parliament on Thursday announced a proposal to amend Article 475 of the penal code [text, in French], which allows rapists to avoid charges if they marry their victims. This practice is currently encouraged in countries such as Morocco and India, where the loss of a woman’s virginity out of wedlock is said to bring shame upon the family. Article 475, translated from French, reads, “When a minor removed or diverted married her captor, the latter can not be prosecuted on the complaint of persons entitled to apply for annulment of marriage and can not be sentenced until after the cancellation of marriage has been pronounced.” The proposal will be put to a vote by Parliament.